No. 4 Women's Lacrosse Set for Saturday Quarterfinal vs. No. 5 Colby-Sawyer

BOSTON, Mass. – The No. 4 seeded Emmanuel Saints women's lacrosse program (13-4, 10-3 GNAC) is taking a four-game winning streak into the Great Northeast Athletic Conference playoffs and in their way is the No. 5 seeded Colby-Sawyer College Chargers (10-7, 8-5 GNAC), with faceoff scheduled for Saturday, April 29, at 1:00 p.m. in the GNAC Quarterfinals.

SEASON AT A GLANCE:

Emmanuel:

• The Saints led the GNAC in goals this season, scoring 295 goals in 17 games in 2023. As of the end of play on April 25, Emmanuel was 10^th in Division III in scoring offense, averaging just over 17 goals per game. Emmanuel's 295-goal total set a new program record for goals in a season, eclipsing the old mark of 249 in 2014.
• In addition to leading the league in scoring, the Saints were the top team in the conference in assists with 167 helpers on the year. Another number that ranks inside the top-15 of Division III, the Saints assists per game average is good for 11^th, as of the end of play on April 25.
• Defensively, the Saints cause more than 14 turnovers per game on average, a stat that has them sitting in eighth in Division III for caused turnovers per game.

Colby-Sawyer:

• The Chargers greatest strength is arguably their defense and aggressive playstyle, as CSC is one of the top defensive teams in two categories among Division III teams.
• As of the end of play on April 25, the Chargers cause 15.50 turnovers per game, ranking them best in the conference and second in the nation. In addition, Colby-Sawyer sits second in the conference and ninth in Division III in ground balls, collecting 27.94 per game.
• Gaining possession on faceoffs is another key to the Chargers game, as CSC ranks third in the GNAC in draw control percentage,  gaining possession on faceoffs 61.9 percent of the time, which puts them 19^th in Division III.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

Emmanuel:

• Saints first-year Livia Fedele (Spencerport, N.Y.) led the team in goals, assists, and points this season, netting 38 goals, and dishing out 25 helpers, all totaling 63 points. Entering the playoffs, the goals scored rank 19^th, assists rank fourth, and points rank 12^th in the GNAC. In addition, Fedele now holds the first-year record for points by a first-year player in program history.
• Sophomore Deja Srimouksavanh (Portsmouth, N.H.) is second on the team in goals, assists, and points, after a season of 36 goals, 23 assists, and 59 points. The sophomore midfielder is much more than just an offensive threat, as her 68 draw controls lead the Saints and 20 caused turnovers are the fourth-most on Emmanuel.
• Joining Fedele and Srimouksavanh with 50 or more points this season are senior Megan Steele (Auburn, Maine) and first-year Ella Marschitz (Naperville, Ill.). Steele had a stellar senior year, recording career-highs in goals (33), assists (24), and points (57). Meanwhile, Marschitz is another all-around threat for the Saints, stuffing the stat column in her first season with 35 goals, 15 assists, 50 points, 53 draw controls, 31 ground balls, and 23 caused turnovers.
• First-years Emily Gates (Waterford, Conn.) and Broghan Laundry (Swampscott, Mass.) round out the 30-goal scorers on the Saints as Gates finished the year with 31 goals while Laundry found the net 30 times in 2023.

Colby-Sawyer:

• The Chargers have a pair of 50-goal scorers on roster, led by sophomore Sophia Kuhlthau (Cheshire, Conn.), who potted 53 goals for CSC in 2023.
• Just a pair of goals behind with 51 is fellow sophomore Heather Hanson (Barnstable, Mass.). In addition, Hanson adds 24 assists on the year, giving her 75 points, good for seventh-most in the conference. An all-around player for CSC, Hanson led the conference in ground balls with 90 while her 5.44 ground balls per game, as of the end of play on April 25, ranked her ninth in Division III.
• Senior attack Sydney Stevens (Laconia, N.H.) brings a season of 38 goals, 13 assists, and 51 points into Saturday's quarterfinal. Stevens adds 54 ground balls and 30 caused turnovers this season, both ranking 12^th-most in the GNAC.
• Sophomore Hannah Himes (Williston, Vt.) serves as a lockdown defender for the Chargers. Himes ranked fourth in the GNAC in caused turnovers, forcing opponents into 42 this season.

COACHES' CORNER:

Liz Maloney – Emmanuel

Now in her fourth season as head coach for the Saints, Maloney brings a career record of 32-13 into Saturday's game. In two postseason appearances, Maloney's teams have reached the semifinal round or further in 2021 and 2022. The Saints 13 wins in 2023 are the most in Maloney's tenure while also being the second-most wins in a single season in program history, trailing only with 2014 program, who went 15-3.

Emily Dewdney – Colby-Sawyer

In her fifth season as head coach for Colby-Sawyer, Dewdney comes into Saturday's game with a 34-25 career record. It's the second consecutive year that Dewdney and the Chargers finished the season with an 8-5 record in GNAC play while the No. 5 seed is the highest CSC has been ranked in the postseason in Dewdney's five seasons.

THE LAST TIME WE MET:

The Saints and Chargers last meeting came all the way back on March 10 and was the second game of the season for both teams.

Coming off a program-record 25-goal performance on opening day against Potsdam, the Saints offense continued to flourish, scoring 20 goals en route to a 20-8 win at Colby-Sawyer. A 9-2 second quarter outburst helped EC to the win by a dozen while Gates and Fedele led the Saints with four goals each. Srimouksavanh and Marschitz each added a hat trick for Emmanuel in the victory.

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:

This marks just the fourth time the Saints and Chargers have met and the first time in the postseason. Colby-Sawyer joined the GNAC in 2019 and never faced Emmanuel in non-conference play prior to that season.

The Saints are 2-1 all-time against the Chargers, picking up the previously mentioned 20-8 win on March 10 to go along with an April 9, 2022, win on Clemente Field, 18-9. The only setback for Emmanuel came on March 27, 2019, in a 13-9 loss to Colby-Sawyer.

POSTSEASON HISTORY:

In the Saints 13-year history as a program, the team has won the GNAC Championship once in two championship game appearances. The 2014 Saints went 15-3 in their GNAC Championship winning year while the 2021 Saints, who finished 8-1, fell in the Title Game that season.

Since joining the conference in 2019, the Chargers have failed to make it beyond the quarterfinal round of the GNAC Tournament. Colby-Sawyer was a runner-up in the Commonwealth Coast Conference in 2003, and a two-time runner-up in the North Atlantic Conference in 2016 and 2018. The Chargers spent 10 years in the CCC and seven more in the NAC before coming to the GNAC.

COVERAGE:

Live coverage of Saturday's GNAC Quarterfinal game between the Saints and Chargers can be found by using the links below.

LIVE VIDEO
LIVE STATS

2023 GNAC WOMEN'S LACROSSE TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Friday, April 28 and Saturday, April 29 – QUARTERFINALS
GAME 1 (April 29): #8 Elms at #1 Johnson & Wales - TBD
GAME 2 (April 28): #7 Norwich at #2 Saint Joseph's (ME) – 4:30 p.m.
GAME 3 (April 28): #6 Dean at #3 Simmons – 7:00 p.m.
GAME 4 (April 29): #5 Colby-Sawyer at #4 Emmanuel – 4:00 p.m.

Wednesday, May 3 – SEMIFINALS
GAME 5: Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 4 – TBD
GAME 6: Winner of Game 2 vs. Winner of Game 3 – TBD

Saturday, May 6 – CHAMPIONSHIP
GAME 7: Winner of Game 5 vs. Winner of Game 6 at Highest Seed Remaining